The Plan
by ErykahMiszti
Summary: Spike's got a plan. I'm not saying it's a good plan. PostNFA.


Title: The Plan  
Author: Erykah Miszti  
Timeline: Post-NFA  
Summary: Spike's got a plan. I'm not saying it's a good plan.  
Pairing: none  
Rating: G

Note: This is re-write of a story I started a long time ago which I've revisited and reworked recently for the Decade of Spike LJ community (http://community. I've re-written it as a standalone piece but the plot bunnies are still hopping around in my head giving me enough potential material for a series. It might happen but I'm not going to guarantee it so, for now, please take this as being standalone.

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Spike sat alone on the stone bench in the graveyard and toyed with a stake, transferring it lightly from palm to palm. His plan repeated itself over and over again inside his head. Since LA he'd been rootless and drifting. It was past time to make it stop. He wasn't going to run to the Slayer – well, the Chief Slayer these days – at least not until he was doing it from a position of strength, rather than looking like a lapdog chasing after her because he had nowhere else to go.

Not everyone was going to like his plan or even believe that it was possible – he wasn't even sure that he could make it work - but he hoped that Buffy would understand. Hell, she'd sort of put the idea into his head in the first place. Well, it was somewhere between her actions and getting to spend time fighting next to Angel again. But he wasn't going to think about Angel…

Spike's thoughts were happily interrupted by the ground of the grave in front of him beginning to break apart as another 'newly-born' vampire clawed its way to the surface. Spike calmly pocketed the stake and went over to it.

He offered it a helping hand.

Sensing no danger from a fellow vampire, the fledging took the proffered hand without question. As soon as it was clear of the ground a well placed kick into its stomach sent it flying several metres through the air. It crashed into a gravestone, breaking it clean in two. The fledgling looked at him in confusion from its prone position on the ground. 

"The name's Spike." He told it as he casually strolled over.

"I've been thinking…" He began as he hauled it to its feet.

"I used to go about this all wrong..." He punched it in the face.

"I used to cling to the idea of being evil…" He gave it a hearty shove so that it crashed into the wall of a nearby crypt.

"As if that had bugger all to do with the ability to have fun..." He kicked it in the ribs.

"Not saying I'm gonna be perfectly good and preachy all the time, mind." He grabbed its collar and pulled the vamp to its feet again.

"It's all relative, right?" Spike smiled and the other vampire cringed back in fear.

"See…" Spike sneered. "You don't know what I want, but you're still afraid of me." The smile widened. "Neat, innit?"

Spike let go and the vampire slid to the floor.

"But it doesn't make me evil."

Spike sat down again on the stone bench and sprawled back against it casually.

"Vampires, right?" He said, retrieving a cigarette from his pocket. "We eat blood." He paused to light the cig. "Humans, well, they'll bloody well eat anything if you wrap it up posh, slap a fancy label on it and charge a fortune for it."

He took a long, satisfying drag before focusing back on the huddled form by the crypt.

"But mostly, they pick and choose. Like, dislike, conscience, morality, habit…" He chewed on his lip for a moment, eyeing his audience carefully. Then he smiled. "Indoctrination."

"Huh?" The vamp questioned past his bleeding lip. "What's that?" 

Spike rolled his eyes.

"I forgot you'd be a product of the American school system…" He sneered sarcastically. "I'll do this in small words."

He straightened up and went over, crouching down till they were on eye level.

"Teaching..." He stated, tapping the vamp on the forehead with the index finger of the hand holding the cigarette. He turned the movement so the cigarette arrived back at his mouth. He took a drag before blowing the smoke out slowly and curving his lips into a wry smile. "...in a manner of speaking."

Standing up, Spike turned away and grabbed an object from a bag near the bench. He tossed it to the fledgling. He caught it automatically. It was a thermos flask.

"Drink." Spike told him. "It's pig's blood. I warmed it up specially."

The fledgling opened the flask and drank his first meal as a vampire down hungrily, uncaring that it wasn't human and just grateful to have it at all. 

"You see." Spike continued as he sat back down. "We can make choices too."

"Choices?" The fledgling asked, wiping spilt blood from his mouth and licking it off his hand.

"Yeah." Spike replied in a measured tone. He pulled out the stake and played with it again. "You've got one right now."

The fledgling eyed the stake warily as he put down the flask. "I do?"

Spike nodded slowly. 

"You can come with me and maybe learn a mite about the world…" He smiled and gestured with the stake. "Or you can stay here as a big pile of dust." His look became very direct. "Your choice, munchkin."

"Er..." The vamp faltered for a moment. He tried for a smile past his fear. "Go with you."

Spike leapt off the gravestone grinning. He threw away the remains of his cigarette.

"Good choice." He enthused as he pulled the vamp upright. "Now, let's go get a real drink and I'll tell you my plan. You're the first of army that no sees coming."

With a very definite arm around the young vamp's shoulders, Spike led him away through the gravestones.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Er, William." The fledgling replied.

"Poncey name." Spike sneered. "We'll find you something better."

"Er, okay." The vamp – soon not to be called William - said meekly and still in rather a lot of confusion.

"You know, today is turning into a really good day. " Spike continued cheerfully. 

"You're not the vampire that bit me." William cut in flatly. "Why are you doing this?"

Spike stopped walking and turned to look at him intensely.

"I'm saving your life." He replied simply.

"Aren't you a bit late for that?" William asked softly, obviously still afraid and not wanting to anger Spike but curious to understand.

"Yeah, a bit." Spike ran a hand through his hair and looked upset. "I wish I'd been there to stop you getting bit but I can't always get there in time. No one can, no matter how hard they try. World's not that easy." He chewed on his lip. "Fact is, I didn't make it in time and if it had been any other night than tonight we wouldn't be talking now. You'd be dust already. But you…" He smilled wryly. "You get a chance. Not because you're special or it's your destiny, but because you're the first new vamp I found and I still think it's worth taking a risk on you."

Spike grinned. 

"It's still your choice. It'll always be your choice. But I'm asking you to stick with me and hear me out. Of course, if you still choose to be what everyone else expects a vampire to be, then you'll be my enemy and I will hunt you down and make you dust, because I have to."

William stared at him.

"You want me to be a vampire, who doesn't behave like a vampire? You want me to be… good?" He asked incredulously.

"I want you to try." Spike stated.

"What do I get out of it?" He asked. "I never asked to be a vampire but why shouldn't I let the demon in me do what it's screaming out to do?"

"Because the demon doesn't know what it wants." Spike replied seriously. "Any more than the human you used to be knew what it wanted. You had a choice as a human to be good or be evil. Not that much has really changed, and deep down inside, you know that. If you want to be evil, you'll have chosen to be… don't be a pansy and blame it on the demon."

Their eyes held for a long moment, their faces very serious. Then suddenly William grinned, a real full on - almost Spike like - grin of enjoyment at the challenge.

"Okay, I'll try." William agreed.

Spike threw back his head and laughed, clapping William on the back.

"Right then, that drink you promised…" William prompted.

"Vamp after my own heart." Spike snarked.

They started off down the path again.

"Okay lesson one William, Slayers… bloody minded self-righteous moody little bitches, but you can learn a lot from them about good, evil and all the grey bits in between... oh go on, drink your pig's blood before it gets cold… if you think it's a bit thin then there's all sorts you can do to make it more interesting. I like Weetabix myself…"

They walked away into the trees, in the direction of the nearest bar.


End file.
